


a little something sweet

by boyofwonder



Category: DCU (Comics), Titans (Comics)
Genre: Baking, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-05
Updated: 2020-01-05
Packaged: 2021-02-27 07:15:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,088
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22133131
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/boyofwonder/pseuds/boyofwonder
Summary: Lian and Dick scheme, the fab five banter and Roy is confused at first but happy in the end.
Relationships: Dick Grayson/Roy Harper, Garth & Dick Grayson & Roy Harper & Donna Troy & Wally West, Lian Harper & Roy Harper
Comments: 13
Kudos: 114
Collections: The Arrowhead Net 2019 Holiday Exchange





	a little something sweet

**Author's Note:**

  * For [flyinggraceon](https://archiveofourown.org/users/flyinggraceon/gifts).



> i wrote this for dani for the AHN gift exchange, i really hope it's something like what you wanted!
> 
> this was also brought to you by me binge watching sugar rush right while i was trying to come up with a plot. and i was shooting for 1k words but, well, things happened. 
> 
> enjoy!

“Here’s the plan.”

Wally looked at the sheets of paper Dick had just placed on the counter, next to where Lian was sitting on top of it (to be on everyone else’s level, of course). “Tell me he doesn’t seriously have a strategy for baking cake.” 

“Have you ever met Dick?” Donna asked with a raise of her eyebrows.

“Don’t complain about the plan, I helped come up with it.” Lian crossed her arms. She was proud of their plan and wouldn’t let them put it down. “We need one, so all of you don’t burn down the kitchen.”

She looked pointedly at Wally, who acted surprised – eyes wide, eyebrows shooting up, pointing at himself and mouthing “ _me?_ ”. Lian couldn’t keep up her stern face and giggled at the exaggerated expression.

“I doubt it’s even possible to burn down the Watchtower kitchen.” Donna said, looking around at the professional grade kitchen. It was very big and clean, with marble countertops and the biggest fridges Lian had ever seen. She had never been here, since there was a smaller and less intimidating kitchen that everyone – or at least her dad – always used. 

“Why are we at the Watchtower, again?” Wally’s mouth made a funny shape.

“It’s the most accessible to everyone.” 

“Roy could come here.”

“He’s not going to, I checked.” Dick was very patient. 

Lian not so much. “Can we _please_ get back on track?” She pleaded, finally shutting Wally up.

When they were all quiet again, Dick continued. “ _So_ , the plan. Donna and I will make the batter while Wally and Garth make the frosting, and–”

“I don’t want to be on team Wally.” Garth complained, very rudely interrupting Dick. 

Wally huffed. “What are you, ten?”

“Hey!” Lian smacked Wally on the arm. “I’m ten.” 

“See, Garth? Lian’s ten and more mature than you are.”

“That’s not–”

“Everyone!” Donna’s shouted above the complaining. It was impossible to stay on topic with these four – if Lian hadn’t seen them come together as a team, she’d doubt how they got things done. “Wally and Garth, you are both children. If we actually want to have _something_ to give to Roy by this evening, I can trade places with Garth. If that’s okay with Lian and Dick?” 

Lian made a serious face, narrowing her eyes, hands on her hips like she’d seen her aunt Dinah do. She traded looks with Dick, who made a move with his head as if to say it was her choice. “I’ll allow it.” She’d heard the phrase on TV, and it made her feel like an important grown up to say it. 

Dick and Lian gave everyone their specific instructions. Lian wanted different flavors for the cake, and she wanted it to be _tall_. Not so tall that it would fall, but tall enough to look cool. And have loooots of filling. So they had a lot of work to do. 

It went a bit smoother after their initial discussions. Lian’s task was the most fun, that’s why she had picked it. She was supervising everyone else so they wouldn’t burn anything down – this was, as previously stated, her biggest concern; she could picture a big fire coming out of the oven and Garth having to explode the pipes to put it out with water –, but she was also making decorations. 

She started making a bunch of little arrows, cutting fondant into stripes, triangles and feather shapes that she assembled. Then she made quivers and bows. She had seen so many of these in her life that she worked totally by memory, even for the details (because, of course, she was adding _lots_ of details). 

She was very, very focused on cutting the shape of a bow with an arrow nocked into it, tongue sticking out of her mouth in concentration, when she was startled by Donna raising her voice.

“Wallace Rudolph West, I did _not_ just see you use super speed to add more sugar to the frosting.”

“What could go wrong about more sugar!”

“Uncle Wally! Don’t ruin the cake!”

“I won’t, sweetie, I totally know what I’m doing.”

“He doesn’t.” Garth mock whispered to Lian, but he was on the other side of the kitchen so it was actually loud.

Lian glared at Wally with all the intensity she could muster. She thought she had a pretty good intimidating face, if you asked her. When she was satisfied he would behave, she shoved him so he’d get back to work.

Team Batter had been suspiciously quiet about what they were doing, so Lian checked on them from her place on the other side of the counter. They were taking pans out of the oven.

“That is _not_ cooked, Dick.”

“It should be done by now. The timer went off and it’s brown on the edges.”

“That’s _liquid_ in the middle. That’s so liquid my hydrokinesis probably works on it.” Dick opened his mouth to reply but Garth cut him off. “I know that’s not how it works, I’m just making a point.”

“Okay, okay, we’ll put them back in.” 

Donna was looking at the same scene next to Lian, who had the urge to smack her hand on her forehead. “I think you’re my last ally.” She told her, very seriously.

Donna nodded solemnly. “I will not disappoint you.”

In the end, seemingly baked cakes came out of the oven (they smelled great, at least) and something that looked like and hopefully tasted like frosting was sitting in a few different bowls, some of it white and some of it colored red. 

Putting it all together was fun but, if Lian had thought it was messy before, this was even worse. When they were done, everyone had frosting on their faces, the cake looked more pink than red, the lettering on top was wobbly and the decorations were placed in no discernible pattern and slipping on the side. But it was as big and tall as Lian had wanted, they’d made it from scratch all together, and she _knew_ her dad would love it, so it was actually her favorite cake, ever. 

.

Roy woke up from his nap to the movement of someone jumping on his bed, but was only _really_ awake when the shouting started. This would’ve sent warning bells off in his brain if it wasn’t something he recognized. 

“Daddy! Daddy! Daddy!”

He tentatively cracked one eye open and found Lian’s face directly in front of his, a cheerful grin taking up her entire face. Even though years had passed, seeing her like that still made something in his chest warm.

“Hi, baby.” He said, his voice raspy with sleep. He hadn’t been able to take a nap like that in ages, but he’d never complain about Lian waking him up.

“Get dressed! There’s a surprise for you!” With that, she jumped back off the bed and, after giving him one last look and motioning for him to hurry, scurried out of his room.

Roy couldn’t help being confused, but did as he was told. After he’d thrown on a t-shirt, still wearing the sweatpants he’d been sleeping in, he walked out of the room and could already hear voices – and Lian trying to shush the voices – from the hallway. 

He was greeted by a chorus of “ _Happy Birthday_!” when he walked into the room, which only served to confuse him more. 

He was excited about seeing Dick, Donna, Garth and Wally all in regular clothes just hanging out in the kitchen, normal like they rarely got to be, but also: _what_. “My birthday was over a month ago.” He said, and he couldn’t decide whether to smile or frown.

“You were off-world in a League mission then.” Donna explained. “We know you did something with your family when you came back, but Dick and Lian schemed to get us all together.”

“I knew Dick was up to no good when he asked to borrow Lian this afternoon.” Roy’s eyes switched between the both of them, Lian smiling widely and Dick doing his best not to look overly proud of himself. It _had_ been a while since they’d last hung out as a group. “You guys planned this?”

“Yep!” Lian said, popping the _p._ “We also made a cake!” 

Only then he noticed the cake sitting on top of the kitchen counter, fully decorated, several layers and leaning sideways a bit, but clearly made from scratch by everyone in the room. His throat closed up just a little. He must have been getting old for these kinds of things to get him so emotional. 

“That looks amazing.” Thankfully his voice didn’t crack, so he maintained some of his dignity. “Thanks, everyone.”

Lian ran up to him to wrap her arms around his torso, and squeezed. Roy automatically placed a hand on top of her head to stroke her hair, and when she let go of him he hoisted her up to carry her, getting a delighted yelp out of her. He was barely able to do that anymore, with her growing quickly at ten years old, but he’d still take any opportunity he got.

“Come on, old man, blow the candles!” Wally cried out from where he was, next to the cake with the lighter in hand. 

They all clapped and whooped when he did – after he joked that Lian help him blow them out, like he used to tell her when she was younger, and even though she acted like he was being dumb she couldn’t hide her smile. 

He cut a slice for everyone, and they all scattered around his small apartment, throwing themselves on the chairs and the sofa. He was too happy to make any comments about them making a mess, which they were surely going to make. 

He sat down on the sofa in between Garth and Dick, with Lian on the floor with her back on his legs. He had barely settled down when Dick huddled closer, their sides pressing against each other. It was a warm, familiar feeling.

He turned to whisper to him, through the bantering that was quickly filling his home. “Thanks for this. I needed it.”

Dick gave him a small smile, his hand coming up to wrap around his arm. “You deserve it. It’s the least I could do.”

He didn’t have the words to reply to that, so instead he returned the smile and quickly placed a kiss on his cheek. He was pleased when he saw a light blush creep up Dick’s face. 

“Keep something for the rest of us, Harper!”

“I’ll save some especially for you, West.” He winked at him, Lian made an ‘ew’ sound as was her ten-year-old given right, and everyone dissolved into laughter. 

Later, after they were done with firsts, seconds, and thirds, Dick stood up to collect the plates and leave everything in the sink. He came back and sat sideways with his back on the armrest, propping his legs up on the couch, on top of Roy’s lap and extending to poke Garth on the side – Garth, who had somehow ended up upside down, his head dangling off the couch and making faces at Lian. 

He looked around the room at his friends. Donna was sat on the floor, her back to Wally who was on the armchair braiding her hair. He was talking animatedly at the same time, telling everyone a story about the twins, managing to gesticulate wildly with his arms without messing up Donna’s hair. The moment had, at some point, transformed into something quieter, the room filled with only the sounds of Wally’s voice and Donna’s soft melodic laughter. 

Lian crawled up the couch to fit herself between Roy and Dick. As Roy lazily drew shapes on Dick’s leg through his jeans, he could feel Lian’s breath growing softer until she fell asleep, curled on his side. 

When it got late, everyone started trickling out one by one, saying their goodbyes to Roy and hugging him as best as they could without disturbing Lian. He picked her up to carry her to her room – she looked so content in her dreams it made Roy’s heart burst, a bit. 

As he was closing the door to her room, taking one last look at her calmly sleeping, he felt arms curling around his waist, a body pressing to his back and sighing contentedly. He turned around in Dick’s arms, leaning down for a kiss that tasted like cake and frosting that was just a little too sweet. 


End file.
